This graphic novel is based on Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. In essence, the story is about a dystopian
future where books are strictly outlawed.
Firemen are paid to burn books whenever discovered, and they are no
longer needed to put out fires, because all buildings are fireproof. The story follows a fireman named Guy Montag
and falls into three parts.
Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander. Montag meets seventeen-year-old Clarisse who seems like an
outsider to the fast-paced, non-reading, sleeping-pill world of the story. She asks Montag if he is happy. Montag returns home and finds that his wife
is nearly dead because she has overdosed on pills. Montag is called out to burn some books, but
the lady at the house burns herself alive before they can get to them. Montag is troubled deeply
and begins to question his occupation.
Part 2: The Sieve and the Sand. Montag has stolen some books, but his wife Mildred is upset
about this. Montag meets Faber, a
former English professor and they discuss the importance of books. Mildred has friends over to watch the walls
(big TVs), and Montag tries to engage them in meaningful conversation, but they
are apathetic and uninterested.
Part 3: Burning Bright. An alarm is raised and Montag is called to his own house
because of his stash of illegal books. When
Beatty, Montag’s boss decides to arrest him, Montag accidentally burns him
alive with the flamethrower. Montag is
then on the run and the mechanical dogs are set after him. He makes his way outside of town to a group
of men who he discovers are preservers of books. They don’t keep books, but rather memorize
them for the day when books are no longer banned.
Given that Fahrenheit 451 the novel is practically canonical, and that many students are already asked to read the book at some point in their education (I personally read it in middle school), the most pertinent question to ask about Fahrenheit 451 the graphic novel is whether it should be taught alongside the original, taught instead of the novel, or not taught at all.
My response to this is that it probably should be offered at least as a "texture text" (from Smagorinsky, a text that accompanies a "fulcrum text" to broaden and enrich the students' reading experience). This means that I do not think it should stand alone without the original. There would be too much irony in that option (the book about how books aren't important isn't important enough for us to read in class). But I do think that it would not only add to the meaning of the novel, especially for visual learners, but also motivate those students who wouldn't already be interested in the novel. The graphic novel is just visually awesome. The frames are not omnipresent like in many comic strips, which allows the colors to extend off the page. Really, it's a work of art.
So I think the graphic novel should be taught alongside the novel, or at least offered as an option. But since the original novel is the center for all the great dystopian questions about the importance of books and past knowledge, pill-taking culture and the meaning of life, and authoritarian regimes overseeing the lives of everyday people, I think it should not be left behind. The graphic novel touches these issues, but just doesn't present them in the rich manner that the book does. This is not to say that the graphic novel doesn't raise other interesting questions (e.g. what do the three consecutive frames of Montag on page 89 tell us about his character? Or, why are the color choices effective for portraying the mood of a scene?). But these really should be asked, I think, after the original book has been read.
Given that Fahrenheit 451 the novel is practically canonical, and that many students are already asked to read the book at some point in their education (I personally read it in middle school), the most pertinent question to ask about Fahrenheit 451 the graphic novel is whether it should be taught alongside the original, taught instead of the novel, or not taught at all.
My response to this is that it probably should be offered at least as a "texture text" (from Smagorinsky, a text that accompanies a "fulcrum text" to broaden and enrich the students' reading experience). This means that I do not think it should stand alone without the original. There would be too much irony in that option (the book about how books aren't important isn't important enough for us to read in class). But I do think that it would not only add to the meaning of the novel, especially for visual learners, but also motivate those students who wouldn't already be interested in the novel. The graphic novel is just visually awesome. The frames are not omnipresent like in many comic strips, which allows the colors to extend off the page. Really, it's a work of art.
So I think the graphic novel should be taught alongside the novel, or at least offered as an option. But since the original novel is the center for all the great dystopian questions about the importance of books and past knowledge, pill-taking culture and the meaning of life, and authoritarian regimes overseeing the lives of everyday people, I think it should not be left behind. The graphic novel touches these issues, but just doesn't present them in the rich manner that the book does. This is not to say that the graphic novel doesn't raise other interesting questions (e.g. what do the three consecutive frames of Montag on page 89 tell us about his character? Or, why are the color choices effective for portraying the mood of a scene?). But these really should be asked, I think, after the original book has been read.
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